BBC Panorama Exposes CMS Failures Across 800,000 Cases as 86,000 Children Miss Payments
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 17
BBC Panorama Exposes CMS Failures Across 800,000 Cases as 86,000 Children Miss Payments
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 17
Summary
Nearly 61,000 Collect and Pay cases saw no payments at all in the first three months of 2026, affecting 86,000 children, as BBC Panorama detailed parents pushed into debt, food banks and mental-health crises.
Katy said her ex-partner built up almost £10,000 in arrears despite owing more than £330 a month, while CMS delays over a liability order left her case effectively on hold.
Susan said she skipped meals after her abusive ex-partner fell more than £10,000 behind, and Gerry said CMS errors — including adding a child who was not his — drove anxiety, tribunal action and a £981 monthly bill.
The service now handles more than 800,000 cases, up about 300,000 in five years, and logged more than 1,400 complaints in the first quarter of 2026.
The DWP said CMS succeeds in the vast majority of cases and is being modernised, while planned reforms would move all parents onto Collect and Pay and cut its fees.